US Optics is a custom
scope manufacturer. The company's goal is to produce the toughest,
most versatile scopes on the market. I have seen the scopes hammer
nails, get thrown across the room, and generally take abuse that would
ruin a rifle. The scopes took the abuse and continued to function.
In short, US Optics scopes take and seem to thrive on abuse. That
is the start of any great sniper scope.

The next thing a scope
has to do is see well. That is where the US Optics scopes really
start to shine. They have lenses that see better than the human eye
does. What that means is that you will be able to see longer after
dark, and more clearly in all conditions. This translates into better
shooting, better target identification abilities, and better groups.

The owner and designer
of US Optics is Dr. John B. Williams. He has been in the optics business
for many years. Dr. Williams is a master of invention and holds many
patents. The company makes everything from entry weapons to ultra-long-range
night vision scopes. I have had the good fortune of meeting Dr. Williams
and spending a day at his facility. That was a great day. I
was able to see the US Optics scopes being made and test US Optics products
against other scopes on an optics testing bench.

You can read many articles
about different scopes and come away with the feeling that everything is
equally good. This is not so. Many riflescope companies, or
should I say almost all optics companies, market scopes that you can see
well with under ideal conditions. These ideal conditions are at the
gun store parking lot and on a nice range day. Problems only become
evident when you use them in the real and ugly world - the one where the
light is almost non-existent and the rain almost drowns you. That
is where sniper scopes need to work, but so few perform well under these
conditions.

Most riflescope manufacturers
do not actually make their scopes. What happens is they have the
scopes made for them in another place, that place usually being Asia.
That can be good and bad: good because labor is cheap there, but bad because
the companies lose control of the product. Quality control becomes
a major issue if you do not supervise the scopes being put together.
US Optics makes their scopes in southern California, and Dr. Williams supervises
every step of production.

It has been said that
US Optics has more options than a Chevy dealer, and I agree. To get
any scope they make you start off by reading through their catalog.
The catalog should be called a scope guide, as it has many information-crammed
pages. When you read the catalog you learn many things about riflescopes.
Options listed range from main tube diameter, lens grade, reticle, color
of finish, adjustment type, and diameter of the objective lens. The
details of the options available would take far too much space for this
article. The catalog costs ten dollars and is well worth the money.

If you order an unusual
scope from US Optics, be warned that custom takes time. A year is
about what to expect, so be patient. Most standard items can be made
in 90-120 days or less. That is what perfection and the ability to
order something exactly the way you want it takes. Since US Optics
is the only scope company I know of that allows you to design your own
scope, this seems to be about the right amount of time. Looked at
in another way, you have to wait six months for a rifle stock and a year
for a custom rifle.

I tested four scopes
from US Optics: the SN3 1.8-10x44mm, the SN3 3.2-17x58, the fixed SN6 10x44mm,
and the new BRX 3.8-22x46mm. All of these scopes are available with
many different reticle options. I chose the
standard mil-dot with optional battery-operated lit reticle.

SN3 1.8-10x44mm

This model comes in
tube diameters of 30mm, 35mm and 40mm. I chose the 35mm with shorter
turrets - as it gave over 100 minutes of travel - in a compact package.
The model with taller turrets has 120 minutes of internal adjustment.
Either turret model can be equipped with an adjustable lit reticle.
Or, you can opt for the 40 mm tube, longer turrets, and over 200 minutes
of travel.

I absolutely loved this
scope. The adjustments were smooth and precise. The optics
were the best of any police sniper scope in this power range that I have
ever used. I could find no distortion and the lenses were clear to
the extreme edges. I liked the adjustable lit reticle feature.
It allows you to dim the reticle for night vision compatibility or increase
intensity for very dark nights. Usually the limiting factor in urban
police sniping is the reticle being too dim to see. The US Optics
lit reticle feature cures the problem.

This scope has found
a home on a work rifle. It will serve the police and military sniper
equally well. I dropped, smashed, and banged this scope many times
without a problem. I highly recommend it for police and military
alike.

SN3 3.2-17x58mm

This scope is designed
for long-range weapons. Resolution of the optics is as good as your
eyes can see. Light transmission is so good, US Optics offers a light
reducer for bright days. I chose the same reticle and turret arrangement
as the 1.8-10x44mm model. Quality was equal in all respects.

This is an ideal low-light
or extreme-range scope. You can choose options that allow over 300
minutes of adjustment. This scope will also serve you well in both
long-range police and military applications. I prefer an objective
smaller than 58mm for field use, but that same 58mm objective allows tremendous
light transmission. You can see well enough in a typical city and
under many moonlight conditions in the field that you can get away without
the use of night vision devices in most circumstances.

BRX 3.8-22x46mm

This scope is a new
design. It was made with the goal of making a 46mm objective see
as well as a 58mm. They reached the goal. There is a trade
off, though, as the scope is about one inch longer than the SN3 3.2-17x58mm.
It's a fine choice for an extreme-range rifle, such as a .338 Lapua Magnum.
I prefer a more compact scope for field use, but the length is the only
draw-back I could find. It performed flawlessly in all tests.
I had trouble telling it from my SN3 3.2-17x58mm (set at the same power)
in abilities. It is truly a benchrest scope dream!

SN6 10x44mm

This is a fixed power
scope and comes with or without an adjustable objective. I prefer
the adjustable objective for all-around long range shooting. This
is an ideal scope for field use. It is built like a tank and the
optical quality is truly outstanding. This scope is currently being
evaluated by US Military units. U.S. Optics has, in fact, contracted
to make prototypes for the U.S.M.C. They will also be making the
Unertl 10x the Corps now uses, and have an order to service the older units
that are currently in use.

All of the scopes were
tested in a manner that the word abuse does not do justice to. They
were smacked, dropped, dragged, and soaked. I tried to make them
break, but I lost the battle. My hands, back, and knees gave out
before the scopes. They were easy to use and the adjustments were
repeatable, precise, and solid. No mushy clicks or jumping of the
reticle, just a micrometer with lenses. The love and attention given
while the scopes were produced truly shows in the US Optic line.
I would recommend US Optic scopes to anyone serious about long-range shooting.